Casper Ruud vs Botic van de Zandschulp Pick – Tennis Predictions & Odds 4/12/23

Casper Ruud will meet Botic van de Zandschulp in the Second Round of the 2023 Monte Carlo Masters. The match will be played on Wednesday April 12th, 2023.

Casper Ruud is the fourth seed here at the Monte Carlo Masters and is ranked number four on the ATP Tour. The Norwegian had been struggling so far this year, but found form at the right time last week, winning the Estoril title and arriving here in great form. When he’s playing well he is one of the top clay court players in the world, and he will be one of the favorites to win the title this week, especially with the withdrawals of Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.

Botic van de Zandschulp is unseeded here at the Monte Carlo Masters and is the 31st ranked player in the world. The Dutchman is as reliable as they come, and has been remarkably solid over the past few seasons. He is 10-8 on the season and is coming off a First Round loss last week, so he is running into Casper Ruud at the wrong time. He is a capable clay court player, make no mistake, but his back is against the wall here and will likely struggle to keep up with the sheer firepower of last year’s French Open Finalist.

This is a potentially tricky opener for Casper Ruud, but given his clay court prowess and his very recent form, I think he will have few problems dispatching Botic van de Zandschulp. Ruud is simply too good on clay, and always tends to peak at these bigger events. The Dutchman is no pushover and will make it interesting, but back Ruud to win in straight sets here.